Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick July 26,2012

 Maryland is proud to be the top-ranked state in U.S. growth as reported in this study, and judged by Education Week to be the #1 state school system for the past 4 years.  A result of years of hard work: policy, accountability, school support, and most important Consistent focus on children

Maryland’s approach from the perspective of: ◦ History ◦ Philosophy ◦ Organization ◦ Implementation

 To provide comparable information on school performance to: ◦ Superintendents and school boards ◦ School administrators and teachers ◦ Parents and communities  To continue to raise the bar and improve schools  To provide rich opportunities to discuss school performance, what is working and what is not

 Performance assessment integrating reading, writing, language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.  For school accountability only  Administered in Grades 3, 5, and 8  Set high standards for all  Fundamentally changed instruction in Maryland to an application of knowledge model

 State given the responsibility to take over academic management of low performing schools from the districts.  Development and implementation of a state curriculum to address: ◦ Mobility issues ◦ Equal access to content and rigor

 Designed to fulfill requirements of NCLB – reading, mathematics, science  School accountability and individual scores  Administered in Grades 3-8 and 10 for reading and mathematics, Grades 5, 8 and high school biology for science  Requirements resulted in less focus on application of skills.

 Require all students to demonstrate knowledge in English, algebra/data analysis, biology and government  Fulfill NCLB requirements in reading, mathematics, and science  Serve as high school graduation requirement as well as school accountability  Administered when students complete the course  Administered on-line in many schools

%82%  Progress was sustained when students were assessed in Grade 3 Percentage of Students Ready for School

 Consistent, sustained vision and leadership  Intensely collaborative relationships with school districts  Highly inclusive of stakeholders  Partnerships and support of schools

 Accountability  Commitment to preparing students for future success  Strategic funding  Importance of leadership

Key characteristics ◦ Alignment of state curriculum to assessments ◦ Comprehensive test security measures and sanctions for any improprieties ◦ Multiple indicators to enhance interpretation ◦ High standards ◦ Accessible reports that include all student groups and achievement gaps ◦ A spirit of evolution

 Implement a state curriculum and align the assessment to it  Involve all teachers in curriculum and assessment development, and all stake- holders in standard setting  Include graduation requirements at least at high school to ensure by-in from students

 Include multiple indicators to ensure valid interpretation  Timely and accessible results: report cards for each school, website  Provide support for struggling schools  Include evolution plan to continue to raise the bar

 Importance of an evolution philosophy- continuous improvement, raise the bar  Must change with the times and the students  Incorporate new research, technology, what works into systems to support schools  Goal is college and career readiness

Dr. Nancy S. Grasmick July 26,2012